Abstract
Tim McGrath makes a strong argument that John Barry is a true, but forgotten,hero of this nation. Barry's list of accomplishments is impressively long: a contender for the title "Father of the American Navy";the commander whofought both the first and last successful engagements of the Continental navy;the skipper who logged the greatest distance in a twenty-four-hour period during the eighteenth century; George Washington's favorite sailor, who served with the Continental army at the battle of Princeton; the individual who extralegally brought about Pennsylvania's ratification of the Constitution; a merchant captain who helped establish American trade with China; and commander of one of two U.S. Navy squadrons who "won" the 1798 Quasi-War with France. Despite this impressive resume, Barry is barely remembered today and John Paul Jones is the American naval officer most associated with valor and accomplishment during the Revolutionary War. McGrath explains Barry's obscurity by the fact that he was humble, laconic, and, in marked contrast to Jones, unwillingto promote himself or his achievements.